Oak Park...

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by BRU67

In our capitalist system, if something is desirable, people pay more for it. Unless you want to subsidize housing costs for certain groups -- which no municipality can afford to do -- there's no way to stop it.

Lord knows there's people in Oak Park who will try. There's a pretty decent-sized contingent in Oak Park who fight against any change. Look how long it took for them to put lights on the OPRF stadium. (Answer: 8 years.)

I think you're right though, that as new people move into Oak Park, that will change.

[felix9]

Originally Posted by kindrakindra

To Felix

Alcuin Montessori School is a great private school in OP. All of the Catholic Churches seem to have pretty good programs, with Ascension and St. Giles leading the pack.

To the OP:

We moved to OP from North Center last year and really like it (although we miss the city and our old 'hood). We both take the green line to work; we live walking distance. The commute to downtown is certainly quicker than taking the brown line from Irving Park. We love how walkable OP is; we can walk to all the OP Ave shops and restaurants.

Crime is an issue here, but probably no worse than compared to all of Lincoln Park. Lookout Kid did a great chart last year comparing crimes in popular suburban and city 'hoods. For us, we were not comparing crime in Winnetka versus OP, but comparing crime from city 'hoods to Oak Park. In other words, we strongly considered staying in the city long term.

Although we don't have kids in the public schools yet, we will. We think the diversity will add to our children's education. Don't let the test scores of certain schools get you down - look at the breakdown by race/ethnicity.

Let me know if you have more specific questions.

thanks for the imfo re schools, i will check out the montesorri one. i really like st ignatius college but that would be 2 years to go before my son went to HS. what middle schools feed to this school anyone know? crime seems to be a common thread in OP but this is no different in UK, need to have street smarts. are there areas where kids can ride there bikes in a nice quite street/community.

[Hatchetman]

Originally Posted by felix9

thanks for the imfo re schools, i will check out the montesorri one. i really like st ignatius college but that would be 2 years to go before my son went to HS. what middle schools feed to this school anyone know? crime seems to be a common thread in OP but this is no different in UK, need to have street smarts. are there areas where kids can ride there bikes in a nice quite street/community.

Just remember, you pay quite a bit in terms of home prices and taxes to send your kids to Oak Park public schools (they are very well regarded).

I don't think any middle schools feed into particular Catholic high schools. You have to apply and it's hard to get into the best ones regardless.

Crime in Oak Park is somewhat dependent on neighborhood. Come visit and you can quickly figure out the quieter areas. Lots of parks and quiet streets/sidewalks for kids to ride their bikes.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by ath79

I posted a few weeks ago that my family was planning on moving out of the city soon...

Anyway, after spending some time in the area, I think we've narrowed our focus to OP/RF, and I'd like to ask a few more specific questions. We've driven around a lot, but it can't compare to getting advice from residents or those really familiar with the area.

1) The consensus seems to be that anywhere in OP is safe as long as its west of Ridgeland. I've looked at the crime data on the OP police department site, and the area East of Ridgeland doesn't seem THAT bad. It still seems a lot safer than Lincoln Park (our current residence), which I consider one of the safest areas of the city. Does anyone have any anecdotal evidence that suggests otherwise?

2) One of our primary criteria is being able to walk to the EL (to commute to the loop everyday), and so it appears that anywhere from Chicago Ave on south will be within walking distance to either the Blue or Green line. Is this correct?

3) What is the absolute best location in OP in terms of walkability to stores, restaurants, trans, etc? From driving around, I would guess the area bounded by Harlem/Lake/Oak Park/ and 290? Any other ideas?

4) Are there any elementary schools that should be avoided? Is there a significant difference between the schools in River Forest and OP? We like River Forest, but its a little pricier, and less is walkable to the EL (the Metra is out as the downtown stop is inconvenient to my husbands job)

We also like Evanston/Wilmette, but from looking at real estate listings, our budget (750k) will go A LOT further in OP/RF.

Thanks in advance!!

Oak Park is a nice desirable town. If the costs are similar, my choice would be Wilmette. You have excellent schools, a nice walkable downtown (although not as big as OP) Gilson Park and Lake Michigan beaches and you do not have the "gray area" close to Chicago where you need to walk around with your street smart alarm set at a higher level. When it comes to the expense of a house, I am going to be VERY picky about how close I get to some of the grittier areas.
Here is a listing a few blocks from the Linden St. station. Taxes looked reasonable.
124 SIXTH, Wilmette, IL 60091 (MLS# 07329962) - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - ColdwellBankerOnline.com

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Oak Park is a nice desirable town. If the costs are similar, my choice would be Wilmette. You have excellent schools, a nice walkable downtown (although not as big as OP) Gilson Park and Lake Michigan beaches and you do not have the "gray area" close to Chicago where you need to walk around with your street smart alarm set at a higher level. When it comes to the expense of a house, I am going to be VERY picky about how close I get to some of the grittier areas.
Here is a listing a few blocks from the Linden St. station. Taxes looked reasonable.
124 SIXTH, Wilmette, IL 60091 (MLS# 07329962) - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - ColdwellBankerOnline.com

I like Wilmette too, but it is a lot more expensive than Oak Park. Do a search for houses under $500,000 in Wilmette in the older walkabe part of town. There aren't many. But in Oak Park you can choose from many houses in that range, and can even get decent ones for under $400,000. This is the major benefit of Oak Park over Wilmette.

Wilmette is safer than Oak Park and has better schools for the most part. But this combined with its North Shore locale make it very pricey.

[vinnybb]

Originally Posted by kindrakindra

Crime is an issue here, but probably no worse than compared to all of Lincoln Park. Lookout Kid did a great chart last year comparing crimes in popular suburban and city 'hoods. For us, we were not comparing crime in Winnetka versus OP, but comparing crime from city 'hoods to Oak Park. In other words, we strongly considered staying in the city long term.

Hi Folks,
I am trying to figure out how to compare crime rates between neighborhoods in Chicago and Oak Park. My wife is convinced that Lincoln Park is "safer" than Oak Park (specifically Ridgeland and Van Buren), and that the are of Oak Park North of the green line and West of Oak Park Ave is the only safe area of Oak Park. I am looking at the reports from the Oak Park PD ( Oak Park, Illinois Village Departments -- Police Department ) and don't see what she "knows". Thanks.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by vinnybb

Hi Folks,
I am trying to figure out how to compare crime rates between neighborhoods in Chicago and Oak Park. My wife is convinced that Lincoln Park is "safer" than Oak Park (specifically Ridgeland and Van Buren), and that the are of Oak Park North of the green line and West of Oak Park Ave is the only safe area of Oak Park. I am looking at the reports from the Oak Park PD ( Oak Park, Illinois Village Departments -- Police Department ) and don't see what she "knows". Thanks.

I did this little comparison a couple of years ago and posted it here. I'll post it again. I may update it again with newer numbers and a few more suburbs and city neighborhoods (if I have the time).



Note that the per capita robbery rates are about the same in Oak Park as they are in Lincoln Park and Lakeview. And it's hard for me to classify any town of 55,000 people as "dangerous" if it only has one murder every few years. Compare that to Maywood.

[vinnybb]

Thanks Lookout Kid, this is useful information. I appreciate the data.

[kindrakindra]

I think the crime maps for OP are pretty accurate. i have heard of one person saying that a crime happened and it didn't make it on the map, but I think that was a simple error.

We moved from Lakeview to North Center and then to OP, and I have always monitored the crime where I have lived. If you think OP looks bad, take a look at the three square miles in the City and you will see the same kind of stuff.

You can tell your wife that the police in OP are happy to talk with you about crime, so if she has concerns, just have her call.